Creating A Succubus Army In A Fantasy World!-Chapter 71: Rift Exploration! (1)

The moment Creed and the others stepped beyond the protective walls of the Bastion, he felt a significant difference.

It was subtle at first, just a faint shift in his senses, but as they walked further into the open world, the realization hit him like a sledgehammer.

He was sensing everything far more clearly than before.

His enhanced physique, combined with his increased strength and speed, had dramatically sharpened his perception.

The rustling leaves in the distance, the faint crack of twigs beneath unseen creatures, the whispering wind against the ruins ahead, all of it felt vivid, tangible, almost overwhelming.

It was like someone had turned up the volume of the world around him.

But while it was exciting to experience, it also brought a terrifying revelation.

The moment his senses expanded further, his gaze drifted toward the dense forest behind the ruins. And what he felt made his entire body stiffen.

A presence was there.

Something, or someone, was watching them.

It wasn’t just a vague feeling either. It was a deep, instinctual certainty, like a deer realizing it had just walked into a predator’s hunting grounds.

Something was lurking in that forest, hidden behind the thick foliage, observing them in complete silence.

It was patient, intelligent, and radiated the kind of presence that sent an unshakable chill down his spine.

For a split second, Creed had the insane urge to turn around, glare into the woods, and shout, I know you’re there, you bastard!

But he suppressed the thought almost immediately. If something that strong was watching, acknowledging it was the worst thing he could do.

Instead, he forced himself to keep walking, pretending like he hadn’t noticed anything.

As he refocused, Fiona suddenly raised her hand. Her index finger glowed slightly, and the ring she wore emitted a bright silver flash.

Then, out of nowhere, a massive, pure white bird materialized right in front of them!

Creed’s eyes widened. His first thought? She was a summoner too?!

But something was off. The bird wasn’t moving. It just stood there, perfectly still, not even breathing.

His confusion only deepened as he took a closer look.

That was when he noticed the mecha joints along its wings, the faint metallic sheen of its feathers, and the thin, segmented lines running along its body.

It wasn’t alive. It was a machine.

Creed blinked. "...What the hell?"

Before he could process it further, Fiona and the twins casually hopped onto the massive mechanical bird as if this was completely normal.

Creed hesitated for only a second before hurrying after them, climbing onto the large avian construct while still trying to wrap his head around it.

A mechanical bird? He had seen high-tech vehicles before, but an actual machine modeled after a living creature?

How expensive was this thing?!

As he settled onto the bird’s back, his mind buzzed with curiosity. He wondered just how well it compared to the real thing.

Was it weaker or stronger? Could it actually fight like a living bird? Or was it purely for transportation?

Before he could voice his questions, Fiona casually pressed a small button on the side of her spot.

A thin slit opened along the bird’s head.

And then, without warning, the bird’s wings flapped.

Creed’s stomach lurched as the entire construct suddenly soared into the sky!

His fingers dug into his seat as a powerful force lifted them higher and higher.

He had half-expected the machine to have a jet propulsion system or something equally mechanical, but—nope!

The damn thing actually flapped its wings like a real bird, riding the air as naturally as any living creature!

That realization hit him harder than expected. For the next few minutes, he just stared in disbelief as they glided effortlessly through the sky.

If it weren’t for two things; the holographic screen that displayed data at the back of its head and the invisible force field that protected them from wind and debris, he honestly would’ve been fooled into thinking they were riding an actual giant bird.

The engineering behind this thing was insane.

For a moment, Creed forgot about the dangers ahead and just admired the view.

The Bastion was already shrinking in the distance, the ruins below looked smaller and more compact, and the dense forests stretched endlessly beyond his sight.

But the momentary peace didn’t last long.

As the minutes passed, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to reality.

This unexplored rift wasn’t going to be anything like the others. He had prepared as much as he could, strengthened himself as much as possible, but...would it be enough?

No.

It was never enough.

Not until he was strong enough to crush a Stage 5 beast with his bare hands.

As he sat there, mentally running through every preparation he had made, a voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Hey, uh, Creed..."

It was Trent. Creed turned his head slightly. Trent gave him a hesitant smile. "So, uh, you ready for this?"

Creed blinked.

Then, without a single word, he turned away and ignored him completely.

Trent’s smile froze.

Creed barely stopped himself from laughing out loud.

This idiot actually expected him to be all friendly and chatty when they had literally tried to kill him a few weeks ago?!

The sheer audacity was unbelievable.

Meanwhile, Kent was still glaring at him.

The guy hadn’t taken his eyes off Creed since they left. His entire posture was stiff, his fists were clenched, and the look in his eyes was practically screaming for a fight.

Creed didn’t acknowledge it, but he noted it. If Kent was this tense, then there was a solid chance he’d try something reckless.

A sneak attack? A betrayal mid-mission?

It didn’t matter. Creed was ready for anything.

Just as that thought settled in, Fiona’s voice cut through the air.

"We’ve arrived."

Creed snapped back to reality.

Below them, a swirling rift stood in the middle of an ancient ruin, waiting.

The dimensional rift stood like a gaping wound in reality, swirling with chaotic energy that distorted the space around it.

Unlike the smaller, more common rifts that flickered with unstable edges, this one had a solid, almost terrifying presence.

Its surface shimmered like liquid silver, twisting and bending the air around it, making everything nearby seem slightly warped.

But what really caught Creed’s attention wasn’t the rift itself, it was the dozens of people gathered around it.

Most dimensional rifts were desolate, especially unexplored ones.

After all, no one wanted to hang around the entrance of something that could suddenly spew out monsters or collapse without warning.

But here? There were two small tents pitched near the rift, crates stacked beside them, and over thirty people standing around, some in groups, others alone, all exuding an air of quiet tension.

Trent, ever the clueless one, frowned in confusion. "Why are there so many people here?"

Before anyone could answer, Fiona shot him a glare. "Idiot. Didn’t I tell you it was a fifteen-man team? Of course the hosts would also be present, won’t they?"

Trent flinched but muttered, "Well, yeah, but I didn’t think—"

"That’s your problem. You don’t think."

Before Trent could get even more humiliated, the massive mechanical bird descended, its powerful wings kicking up a small whirlwind as it landed gracefully near the tents.

The moment they dismounted, a towering figure approached them.

The man was huge.

Creed immediately guessed he was at least 6’7, with broad shoulders, thick arms, and a presence that felt like a walking mountain.

He had a rugged, battle-worn face, short silver hair, and a deep scar running down from his forehead to his cheek.

But what stood out the most was the way he looked at Fiona.

There was clear affection in his eyes, a warmth that was almost painful to witness.

And yet...

Fiona met his gaze with absolute coldness. No hesitation. No warmth. Not even a flicker of emotion.

The man clearly noticed, but instead of being discouraged, he just smiled.

Creed had to stop himself from shaking his head. ’Oh, man. This dude is down bad.’

Before the awkward tension could settle, three more figures approached.

Creed immediately noticed their strength. Each of them radiated auras that were at least Silver level.

He could feel the difference between them and the weaker members present, the sheer weight of their existence pressing against the air itself.

These weren’t your average awakened, they were battle-hardened experts.

One of them, a bald, bearded man with a large halberd strapped to his back, stared at Creed, Kent, and Trent before shaking his head with a sigh.

"I don’t know why you’d waste your tickets on three Stage 1’s."

Creed almost rolled his eyes. Before he could retort, Fiona cut in sharply, "You don’t need to know."

Her voice was cold enough to freeze lava.

The three men sighed, exchanging glances before giving up on arguing. Instead, they gathered up the entire team for the expedition.

That was when Creed took a moment to analyze the lineup that would be exploring the rift.

3 Stage 5 Awakened. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

These were the strongest, including a tiny man who was also not-so-subtly gazing at Fiona.

A younger halberd-wielder, and another older woman with sleek black hair and an emotionless expression.

3 Stage 4 Awakened. One of them was silent and distant, exuding an almost predatory aura that immediately caught Creed’s attention.

The other two... well, one was pretty normal-looking, and the last one was...

’Oh, for f**’s sake...’

Just as Creed was processing the team’s lineup, the last Stage 4 Awakened pulled out a drone.

A white drone with a camera.

Then, in a voice dripping with enthusiasm, the man spun dramatically, facing the hovering camera.

"Yo, yo, yo! It’s your boy Axel Storm! Back with another thrilling, death-defying rift exploration!"

Creed actually felt his soul leave his body.

Oh, great. A rift streamer. Fantastic.

Axel continued, gesturing toward the rift with an exaggerated flourish.

"Today, we’re diving into an UNEXPLORED RIFT, ladies and gentlemen! That’s right! We’re risking our lives for your entertainment!

"So don’t forget to smash that like button, subscribe, and drop a donation if you want to see me kick some monster ass!"

Creed nearly choked. Did this dude just plug his channel before entering a deadly rift?!

The reaction from the others was...less than thrilled. Most of the awakened clearly wanted to strangle him.

Creed could see it on their faces—the sheer frustration, the deep WHY AM YOU EVEN HERE? energy radiating from every single one of them.

But instead of saying anything, they all just sighed in defeat, like they had long accepted that this idiot was unstoppable.

Instead of arguing, everyone silently pulled out masks.

Creed blinked. "Wait, we’re actually doing this?"

The bald halberd-wielder muttered under his breath, "He’s got millions of viewers. If we don’t hide our faces, we’ll be dealing with way bigger problems than rift monsters."

Creed sighed, took a mask from Fiona, and put it on. This is so stupid.

Axel, completely oblivious to everyone’s suffering, grinned at the drone and threw up a peace sign.

"Alright, ladies and gents, the squad is masked up, we’re locked in, and we’re about to head into the UNKNOWN! Let’s get this bread!"

Creed physically cringed.

Before Axel could drag their collective dignity even lower, the Silver-level awakened who had gathered outside stepped forward and gave them one last look.

One of them, an older man with a green rifle slung over his back, exhaled and said, "Good luck."

Then, just like that, they stepped aside.

Fiona gave one last nod before leading the team forward.

And with that...

They entered the rift.